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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Might Want to Look Closer

What to Know: Breathless political talk about “turning Texas” blue are based on an incorrect reading of a 2016 exit poll. The numbers show new Texans are more likely to support conservative candidates (comparing Sen. Ted Cruz to Beto O’Rourke).

The TPPF Take: The reason the “turn Texas blue” myth is so persistent is the math—Trump can’t win if he doesn’t carry Texas.

“Endlessly repeating a falsehood may not make it true, but it does increase the likelihood that it becomes accepted wisdom,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “We should welcome our new neighbors because they moved to Texas for a reason—more opportunity—and are just as likely or even more likely to guard those opportunities and liberties as native Texans. Lyle Lovett got it right; ‘That’s right, you’re not from Texas—but Texas wants you anyway.’”

And A Child Shall Lead Them

What to Know: The environmentalist movement now has a new celebrity spokesperson—16-year-old Greta Thunberg.

The TPPF Take: Hyperbole and calls for someone (always someone else) to do something haven’t convinced all young people.

“Government overreach scares me a lot more than global warming, which seems to be just another ridiculous scientific prediction,” writes Emma Roberts, daughter of TPPF’s Kevin Roberts, for Real Clear Politics. “Yes, we need to be good stewards of the Earth. We need to take care of our natural resources, because they are the only ones we have. But the government cannot do it for us, and if it tries, it will only wreak havoc.”

Paid Sick Leave

What to Know: San Antonio’s mandatory paid sick leave law is at best a trade-off; a city-directed study shows that it will, in fact, hurt small businesses.

The TPPF Take: While the economic arguments are important—and show that mandatory paid sick leave laws mean fewer jobs—there’s a more fundamental issue here.

“City government has no business interfering in the employer-employee relationship,” says TPPF’s Rob Henneke. “We will continue to fight these ordinances in court.”